Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena looks on during a special party convention in Colombo, Sri Lanka December 4, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has asked the police chief and defense secretary to quit following the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 359 people, two sources close to the president said on Wednesday.

The sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter amid accusations within the government of intelligence failures ahead of the attacks.

(The story corrects headline to defense secretary, not minister, no change to text.)

Reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Darren Schuettler